[highlight]This thread will be updated regularly... Until it dies out. If you see this thread back at the top, probably means i've bumped it. Check for new creatures/plants at bottom of OP.[/highlight]
(NSFW Tag as some stuff is gonna be nasty.)
Very recently I have seen small threads relating to certain plants and animals, doing awesome, and perhaps disgusting things. From this I have decided to cram all of these awesome critters and vegetables together and put them in one beautiful thread.
Some of the crap that you'll find in here might be cringe worthy, so if you don't like things such as tarantula's eating a living mouse, or a Venus Fly Trap om nom'ing on a frog, then please get out.
Since I was a little kid, it always amused me to catch a fly and stick it to a spiders web, then watch the spider inject its enzymes into it, slowly digesting it, so the spider would have a lovely prepared meal for later. This is yet another inspiration for me making this thread.
Well lets start out with some cringeworthy creatures and not so pitiful plants!
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Another parasitic worm. Only difference is that you don't need a microscope to get a good view of this thing. [b]Ascaris[/b].
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/4921/ascaris.jpg[/img][/url]
Lovely close up of its mouth. This worm has three juicy lips that it will use again, to attatch itself to your intestine, rather like the hookworm. Ascaris is a roundworm that can reach up to 40cm in length. This parasite is most familier to humans, infecting around 25% of the [b]whole worlds[/b] population. Symptoms include: fever, sweating, sickness, and heavy infestations blocking up your bowel. This kills up to [highlight]20,000[/highlight] people a year.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/1757/ascaris2.jpg[/img][/url]
Photo of the worms.
This parasite loves the warm, damp conditions of your bowel, and poor hygiene. The larvae of this parasite tends to penetrate the skin of its host, although infection usually occurs through the eating of food laced with shit that has Ascaris eggs in it. The larvae then hatch inside you, travel through your gut and respiratory system, before being reswallowed and nesting in your intestine. The female will then lay hundreds of thousands of eggs. [i]Inside you.[/i]
:barf:.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/1752/ascaris3.jpg[/img][/url]
Massive infestation in a child.
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Now for a rare catch. The [b]Frilled Shark[/b].
This is a living fossil shark, the only member of the Chlamydoselachidae family. It can be found real deep in cold water, about 1,500m, at almost freezing temperatures. For this reason, there are only a few real images of this shark.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/5830/frilledshark.jpg[/img][/url]
(Is it me, or does he look slightly stoned? :350:)
Now, time to talk a bit about that image. It was taken on the 21st of January 2001, after it was found alive on the coast of Japan. The shark was captured, but wasn't adapted to live in the warm conditions and shallow water it was provided with. The specimen died roughly 4 hours later. Apart from this, there is only been one other sighting of this shark, and that was video footage from a submarine, filming the shark in its natural habitat.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/9564/frilledshark2.jpg[/img][/url]
Take note of the depth and temperature.
The shark looks slightly like a grey or brown eel, but is identified as a shark as it has six gill slits. The tissue of the gills protude somewhat, giving it the name it has. They eat squid, other sharks, and bony fish. It is known as a living fossil, as it has hardly changed since pre-historic times. Not much else is known about this shark, so I hope i've cleared up some of the general ideas.
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Okay, it's time to pinch your nose, as up next is the [b]Corpse Flower[/b].
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/6701/corpseflower.jpg[/img][/url]
The Amorphophallus Titanum, more commonly known as the Corpse Flower, is the largest, unbranched inflorescence in the world. The tallest bloom being 2.04m, and having a record breaking weight of ~50kg. Thats not important though, what you want to know is what is so special about this plant, for it to be mentioned, right? Well, if you haven't guessed by now, or you don't know of this plant, is lets out a very potent smell that has been related to that of a rotting corpse, or rotting eggs.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/4646/corpseflower2.jpg[/img][/url]
Photo taken May 1st, 2009.
Don't get confused though, as this is not a carnivorous plant. The reason for the smell is so that it attracts carrion eating beetles and flesh flies, so it can be polinated. The tip of the plant can reach human body temperature during bloom, as this helps volitise the fumes, and the deep red colours help give the illusion that it is rotting meat. Both male and female plants bloom, with females blooming a few days before the male, so that there is no chance of self-pollinating.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/3696/corpseflower3.jpg[/img][/url]
10 Days before opening.
This flower can live up to 40 years, and will only bloom a few times in its lifetime. It is during these first 8 hours that it will let out the scent of rotting flesh. Once it has pollinated and has gained enough energy, the leaves break off, and becomes dormant. Rinse and repeat.
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Damn this is one cool bird. Say hi to Mr. [b]Peregrine Falcon[/b].
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/3180/peregrine.jpg[/img][/url]
This bird has created many world records, such as the worlds fastest animal - can reach speeds of us to 200mph, and is the most widespread bird of prey - it lives in every single region of the world, except for polar caps, and New Zealand. The name simply means," wandering falcon". Commonly, the female is a lot larger than the male. It has a body length of up to 60cm, and a wingspan of up to 1.2m.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/6159/peregrine2.jpg[/img][/url]
This bird feeds almost always on medium sized birds, such as Doves and Pigeons, however on occasions it will hunt mice, voles, squirrils etc. It hunts at dawn and dusk, when prey are most active, but will hunt nocturnally in cities. It requires open space to hunt, therefore this is often done over water, in valleys, fields, or tundras. The air pressure of a 200mph flight could damage the Falcon's lungs, but small bony tubercyles in the nostrils divert the shockwaves, making breathing easier. To protect their eyes, they have a 3rd eyelid to clear debris from their eyes while maintaining good vision. Prey is struck at massive speeds in mid air, or on the ground, stunning it and damaging it. If it is a bird, the Falcon will then catch it in midair. Prey is then taken to the nest, and ate, or if it is too heavy, it is eaten on the ground. All birds are plucked before a meal.
[IMG]http://i44.tinypic.com/oavu9w.jpg[/IMG]
Look how perdy it looks there! I love this creature. Since the introduction of pesticides in the early 1900's, there was a decline in these birds, especially becuase of the pesticide DDT, however once it was banned in the 1970s, the population of these birds has gone back up, and they are thriving.
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Jellyfish now. Not the most deadly one, but it looks pretty freaky - [b]Rhizostome Jellyfish[/b]. (Thanks to Maxillary for the idea.)
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/3772/rhiz.jpg[/img][/url]
This jellyfish can reach up to 90cm in diameter from its umbrella, and swims in depths of water from sea level, to just about to deep that we cannot give an actual statistic. Male ones are generally blue, females are generally orange/red. They have no tentacles, and the mouth-arms have grown together and have the same diameter of the umbrella. The whole body has a relatively solid consistancy. This jellyfish can swim very fast, as the mouth-arms have a very exstensive system of canals in them. Water is pumped in and out, allowing the jellyfish to swim faster, as well as filtering out food particles.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/7688/rhiz2.jpg[/img][/url]
That thing looks pretty sketchy to me.
However, there are stinging cells on the umbrella, but they are so weak that they hardly irritate human skin. The species is found in Scandinavian waters, rarely, although in summer and winter they have been found to drift into nordic waters. Becuase of their size, some people have used them as a food source. Not much else is very interesting with this jellyfish, so i'll leave you with one final image.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/6061/rhiz3.jpg[/img][/url]
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I just had to add the [b]Tawny Frogmouth[/b]!
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/5927/tawnyfrogmoutheatingmou.jpg[/img][/url]
Although often thought to be an owl, this Australian bird, is, a bird! The males and females look the same, with yellow eyes, and weird looking beaks, which they use to eat and make weird clacking sounds. They are lazy bastards, and instead of going out in search of prey, they tend to sit around and wait for prey to come to them. They do have good camouflage though, so hunting isn't too difficult.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/5185/800pxtawnyfrogmouthcove.jpg[/img][/url]
They feed on mice, rats, beetles, frogs and other small prey. They will catch with their beaks, and not with their talons, another difference to owls. Eggs take about 30 days to hatch, and both the male and female birds will feed their young, and sit on their eggs.
Thats about all the interesting stuff there, so i'll leave you with a few pictures.
[b]Racial Harmony[/b]
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/3059/albinofrogmouth013sm.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]"I haz' no feet!"[/b]
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/4771/frogmouth.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Rawr![/b]
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/4508/tawnyfrogmouthbaby.jpg[/img][/url]
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[b]Acanthoscurria Geniculata[/b]
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/5812/acanthoscurriageniculat.jpg[/img][/url]
Well damn; just look at that. Its furry all over, and has awesome looking stripes!
The Acanthoscurria Geniculata, which may be more commonly known as the A. Geniculata, or the Brazillian Whiteknee Tarantula, originates from, thats right, you guessed it, Brazil! It is a relatively large tarantula, with a legspan reaching almost 9 inches on a female. This creature is very colourful, unlike a lot of large tarantuals, featuring white stripes on leg joints. (The colour can vary, it looks most awesome on some of them that have a very dark black fur, and vibrant white stripes)
They are very greedy, and will almost always accept any food they are given. One of the main reasons being that they grow very fast. Commonly used as pets, people feed them things such as giant crickets, mice, rats, frogs, and the sort.
Now onto the awesome part!
-They have urticating hairs, which can be very irritating to human skin.
-Although they have a venom, its the actually bite that will do the most damage, due to its large size. These can often be very severe and require medical treatment.
-They have a very unique temperment, they are very defensive, however they will face a threat face on, with great efficiency.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/5812/acanthoscurriageniculat.jpg[/img][/url]
OM NOM NOM
Now how about a live action video of a lovely A. Geniculata vs mr mouse?
[media][url]http://youtube.com/watch?v=9cHP5RD4fic[/url][/media]
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Second up, the [b]Bot Fly[/b].
Some of you may have heard of this, some of you may not. They have many other names, such as Horse Stomach Bot, Sheep's Nose Bot, and... Human Bot.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/6268/botfly.jpg[/img][/url]
Mainly found in Central and Southern America, these flys have adapted to target a specific animal; or human. They all have different reproductive cycles, although these all end in a fat, half an inch maggot, stuck inside living flesh... eating.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/8473/botflylarvae.jpg[/img][/url]
These sick bastards have all sorts of methods of getting their eggs inside an animal. For example, the Horse Stomach Bot lays its eggs in grass. Horse eats grass. Heat of horse's mouth makes eggs hatch. Larvae dig through tounge and body until they're in the stomach. Live on the stomach until turned into a fly. Shitted out.
I mean seriously, what the fuck is with that? Sick stuff right there. The Human Bot Fly lays its eggs on the skin, and body heat will make it hatch. It will then burrow into your skin and eat away at you until its fat enough to come out and turn into a fly. These eggs can land anywhere, and by that, I mean it.
Now onto the awesome part!
-Human Bot Larvae have been found in: arms, legs, brains, and eyes.
-...Can't think of another awesome part. I'll go straight to sick images and a video to finish off.
Media tags becuase some people may find them gross.
[media][url]http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/4990/botflybrain.jpg[/url][/media]
[media][url]http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/2316/botflyeye.jpg[/url][/media]
Removing a Bot Fly Larva
[media][url]http://youtube.com/watch?v=PFYdgXbCZoc[/url][/media]
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Next up on the agenda; the [b]Monkey Cup[/b].
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/7051/monkeycup.jpg[/img][/url]
This Carnivorous plant works very much like the Pitcher Plant. This plant can reach up to 40cm tall and 20cm wide, holding more than 3 and a half litres of water. They rely on the pray climbing inside it in search of food, slip down the slippery sides, and cant get out. The Monkey Cup will then slowly digest it as the prey tires itself out trying to escape. They can catch allsorts of creatures, ranging from mice, frogs, or even birds.
It is said to be one of the most facinating carnivorous plants, and originates in and around Malasia. It can take days for some critters so be digested into a lovely plant soup for it to digest, or it could take weeks for some larger animals to be digested. Some people have even found birds that are still being digested after being inside the Monkey Cup for more than a month!
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/7854/monkeycup2.png[/img][/url]
Now onto the awesome part!
-These plants have a better mechanism for stopping prey escaping than the Pitcher Plant.
-They have inward and outward spikes and blades as one form.
-The other one being a toxic enzyme!
-The reason its called the Monkey Cup is because many larger forest animals try to get inside them for the water, but are fended off by the spikes. Monkeys simply get round this by tearing them open! :D
Sorry for the lack of media, I was unable to find much of it.
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Om nom nom. Up next is the [b]Hookworm[/b].
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/9632/hookworm.jpg[/img][/url]
What a sketchy looking fucker. This parasitic worm will find its way into its host in many different ways, such as through wounds, or orally, such as through infected food or water. This lowlife could sit in your intestine for months, or even years. It will attatch itself to your intestine, latching itself to the tissue with that mouthful of teeth. It will suck, suck, and suck more blood until it is too fat to live inside you anymore. Sometimes, these fuckers can suck so much blood that you can get anemia, or an iron defficiancy.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/5796/hookworm2.jpg[/img][/url]
Ew. That isn't actually the worms there, at least, i dont think so. That is the path the worm has taken, and the trail it leaves behind.
Now the awesome stuff!
-Was a major problem in South America, where it infected a large portion of the population in the early 20th century.
-It remains a large problem in developing countries, causing retarded growth, and intellectual impairment. (-5int fffff)
-It is said that around ~740 million people currently have Hookworm.
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Yay, now time for a classic. The [b]Venus Fly Trap[/b].
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/2302/venusflytrap.jpg[/img][/url]
Dont we all love that? The Venus Fly Trap is another carnivorous plant that catches its prey in its teeth like leave blades. The leave blades have a scent that is appealing for spiders and flys, as well as a lovely scent that will attract them. When they go to investigate, if they touch the hairs inside the leaf, maybe 2 or 3 in succession, the leave will shut. Tight. Pretty clever really, as it will only shut if the hairs are touched a few times, so that energy isn't wasted on closing when maybe nothing is there.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/5323/venusflytrap2.gif[/img][/url]
This plant can get its neutrients from the soil and air, but they usually grow in areas lacking nutrition such as nitrogen, so they rely on the catching of their prey as the main source of food. The plant needs insects that are the perfect size. Too small, and about 12 hours after catching it, the trap will release it, and "spit it out", as it wouldnt provide enough energy. For proper, effective digestion, the trap needs to be sealed, airtight, so that the digesting enzymes will not leak out, and bacteria cannot get in. If the insect is too big, bits will stick out, which will also let in air. The insect will rot, and bacteria sets in, killing the leaf.
Now the awesome part!
-Suprisingly, no one knows how the Venus Fly Trap Closes. It doesn't have any muscles, tendons, or the sort. Some people have theorised that it closes by the movement of fluids, set off by a real electrical current running from the lobes (the hairs.)
-Lots of people cultivate these to create different strains, which have bigger traps, awesome colours, etc.
-They can also catch other things, such as... Frogs!
Here, a Venus Fly Trap eating a fly, then a frog.
[media][url]http://youtube.com/watch?v=EG9PvoORmIw[/url][/media]
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Thanks to sloppy_joes for this one. [b]Toxoplasma Gondii[/b].
This is pretty complex. Dumbed it down for easy digestion.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/6235/toxoplasmagondii.jpg[/img][/url]
Basically, this is a Parasitic Protozoa. The main host is cats, although any mammal can carry it. The cats catch this from eating dead, delicious, and mouldy rats and mice. It is this Parasite which we can blame Toxoplasmosis on. However, i will go into this in a bit. Although not a major worry for humans, it can damage unborn featus' if contracted by a pregant female. It can be contracted from unwashed or uncooked foods, or an immunocompromised cat.
I'll go a bit into its life cycle, and how it works when inside you, or, uh, the cat. It has two stages of its life, the sexual part, and the asexual part. The sexual part takes place in cats, and the asexual part can take place in any warm blooded mammal. In the sexual stage, inside cats, the parasite will invade cells. Here it will hide inside the vacuole, and replicare itself. This happens mainly in the muscle, or brain tissue. It does this in the vaculole, as the immune system cannot detect its going ons inside cells. Once it has reproduced so enough times, the cell bursts, and Tachyzoites are released. This is the parasite, but in its asexual form. As it travels around the body looking for new cells to infect, it can be killed by the immune system, but usually, some of the parasite will find a new cell. And this is how it survives.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/6956/toxoplasmagondii1.jpg[/img][/url]
^ Replication inside the mother cell.
Now the awesome part!
-Toxoplasmosis, which I started to go into, is an infection that rats and mice get. What it does is teach the rat/mouse to not be afraid of cats, instead of shitting bricks when they see them. The weird part is that it does this with surgical accuracy, so that not one other part of the rat/mouse is affected, only how it reacts to cats. This is a fucking awesome way of helping this parasite to spread.
Dumbed down. A lot.
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Here's the [b]Candiru[/b]. That's the fish that swam up that kids dick. Thanks to iamgnome for the idea.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/9753/candiru.png[/img][/url]
Here we go. This is a parasitic fish. Also known as the Toothpick Fish, it can grow up to sizes of ~15 cm in length. They are found in the Amazon River, and some people say that they are more feared than Pirhana's. They are Eel shaped and translucent, making them impossibe to see in water. They feed off of the blood of larger fish, and can appear to have distended bellies after a large 3 course meal of, blood.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/7243/candiru.jpg[/img][/url]
They have an ability to detect respitory currents in the water, which allows them to swim into the gills are larger fish, and feed on their blood. They also have a subfamily, which feeds on scales and mucus. This sneaky fish will lie and wait at the bottom of a river, occasionally sampling the water for excreted chemicals such as urea or ammonia, which are released from the gills. Once a fish has been detected, the fish will dart with great speed towards the fish, and lodge itself in the fish's gills, with its spines. It will then gnaw a hole in the fish until it hits a blood vessel, which then it will feed for a few minutes, then leave and hide, and await its next victim. This is usually very fatal for the fish.
Now the awesome part!
-Although it is said that attacks on humans are very rare, there has been one documented case. It has been a myth that the fish will swim into a victim while they are urinating, although there was one case where a boy was said to have been urinating about thigh deep, and the fish jumped up, and BAM! It was inside him. The fish was inside his dick.
[media][url]http://youtube.com/watch?v=QQWgUht-ObI[/url][/media]
An informative video from BBC concerning the threat it poses to humans.
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Thought i'd go for a pretty one now. The [b]Uroplatus[/b].
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/6869/giantleaftailedgecko.jpg[/img][/url]
YAY! Damn, that hits 100% on my cool face'ometer.
The Uroplatus, or more commonly known as the Giant Leaf Tailed Gecko, is only found in Madagascar. Its generic name Uroplatus is greek for Uro - flat, and platus - tail. Flat-tail! They are both nocturnal and arboreal. They tend to spend most of their day hanging vertically from tree trunks, head down, resting. The smaller ones tend to "hang out" in bushes and twigs and crap. At night, they go out to hunt. They are insectivors. Very unique creatures. They are distunguished among Gecko's as having the most teeth and highest among all living amniote's. Other types of this Gecko can have extra ribs, and altered anatomy of the lungs and heart.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/143/geckop.png[/img][/url]
These critters love to camouflage themselves. There are two main types, Leaf form, and Bark form. It will usually be blackish-brown, or a dark green colour. They all blend in exceptionally well in their surroundings, as they are able to break up their outline with the vivid shapes they grow in. Some grow an extra flap of skin on their back, so that when they are resting during the day, it flops down, breaking up their outline, thus hiding them more.
Now the (not so)awesome part!
-As they are only found in Madagascar, they are hunted, and traded, thus, their numbers are dwindling.
-Many are threatened by deforestation, and habitat loss.
-The WWF have them on their "top ten most wanted species" list, becuase of the illegal wildlife trade.
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Ugh. What a contrast. Awesome Gecko's... to the [b]Camel Spider[/b]. (Thanks to Mrpfoot for mention.)
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/9123/camelspider.jpg[/img][/url]
What the shit? Just look at that beast. The typical name for them is Solifugae, and there are many different types, the Camel Spider is just a general name, not a specific one, don't get confused! Technically, these aren't spiders, they are from a different group, Araneae, just like scorpians are distant from spiders. They love hot temperatures, and desert. Found in both eastern and western hemispheres, these carnivorous and omnivorous things feed on beetles, termites, and such. However, they have been found to om nom on lizards and other creatures. They locate their pray with their pedipalps, and killed and chopped up into bits with the chelicerae. They are then liquified, then it is injested through the pharynx. They don't normally attack humans, although this world aint normal, and shit has happened.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/1212/camelspider2.jpg[/img][/url]
There are SO MANY urban legends for these guys. Such as how big they get, how fast they can move, how leathal they are, etc. The fastest can run ~16pmh. That is nearly half as fast as the fastest human sprinter. So-called, they don't have vendom (although some do in India), and they don't spin webs. One pretty awesome myth going around British and American military is that these spiders will attack soldiers during their sleep. The spider will inject them with an anaesthetizing venom on an exposed area of skin, eat it, and the soldier will wake up in the morning with a gaping wound. However, they dont have such venom, and only attack victims larger than themselves if they feel threatened.
Now, the awesome part!
-Just some pictures of injuries here, so-called inflicted by Solifugae. Media tagged for gore.
-Dont know if these are real, or were actually inflicted by a Solifugae though.
[media][url]http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/9333/camelspiderbite.jpg[/url][/media]
[media][url]http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/3750/closespiderbite.jpg[/url][/media]
[media][url]http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/4888/spiderbite.jpg[/url][/media]
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Yeaaaa..! Snails! Say hello to the [b]Marbled Cone Snail![/b]
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/2016/226conesnail.jpg[/img][/url]
Fascinating little snail here. Its a sea snail, thought i'd just clear that up. Conus Marmoreus is a very sophistocated preditor, with a very unique way of catching it's prey. Quite disturbing too, if you think about it. Obveously, these snails aren't the fastest of creatures, so they need a way to catch their prey without them being able to swim away. Firstly, the snail uses a "siphon" filled with chemoreceptors that will detect nearby fish. Once a fish has been detected, it will fire out a harpoon like weapon at it. Basically, the harpoon is a tooth that is grown within the snails "radular sack". This tooth is filled with a venom, which is injected into the prey. The venom contains neurotoxins, peptide toxins, and alphaconotoxins, omegaconotoxins and muconotoxins, which are all paralytic components, that target different parts of the prey. Once the prey has been stabbed by the harpoon and injected, the harpoon is attatched to a thread, which the snake then reels in so the prey can't escape. (although the paralysis usually kicks in within a matter of seconds, so it couldnt really escape anyway) Then, the snail opens itself up, so its stomach is revealed, and digests the fish. The fish is being digested alive, but theres nothing it can do, as it's paralysed.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/6996/conesnail.jpg[/img][/url]
Gotta love the snail for that!
Now the awesome part!
-The snail's venom is being researched for medical purposes, as the paralytic components target different parts of the body, which could come in handy.
-There isn't an antivenom for this, you're fucked.
-If a human gets stabbed, the victims speech, vision, and hearing are disturbed. Severe symptoms include: respiratory muscle paralysis that may lead to death.
[highlight]__________________________________________[/highlight]
Now for an aquatic carniverous plant, the [b]Bladderwort[/b]. This plant belongs to the Utricularia genus, and has one of the most effective active methods of catching its prey.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/3919/bladderwort1.jpg[/img][/url]
Look at that, pretty, isn't it? Hell, I havent even started on how it catches it's prey. That all happens underwater. You might have guessed it from the name, Bladderwort, branching off from its roots, are small bladders, that only reach about 1-5 millimeters wide. At one end is an opening and a flap that forms a door. This hangs down, and opens inwards. The opening is covered with lots of bristly hairs that resemble an anntenae of a tiny insect, to attract, and detect its prey. Hundreds of tiny glands inside the bladder absorb the water, and expel it outside, and the result of this is a small vaccum.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/4665/bladderwort2.jpg[/img][/url]
An image of the bladders. The door is hinged to allow easy entry, but cannot be opened from within. When a minute organism touches one of the hairs on the outside, it acts as a lever, forcing the door open. This breaks the water-tight door, and since the bladder contains a vaccum, the poor insect is sucked inside. The amazing thing, is that this happens in 1/60th of a second, around 15-20 milliseconds. Digestive enzymes are then secreted, and the organism is digested.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/8293/bladderwort3.jpg[/img][/url]
Here is a good closeup of the bladders. Note: you can see the tiny hairs that trigger the bladder door to open, aswell as a few insects inside.
[highlight]__________________________________________[/highlight]
Finally! Some new content coming up. Heres the [b]Shocking Pink Dragon Millipede[/b]. (Yes, that [b]is[/b] its real name, it was deemed too awesome to have a latin one.) Thanks to BuDSpOoNce for this one.
Also known as the Cyanide Millipede, this is one of a thousand new species found in the Greater Mekong, Thailand, in the last 10 years. Also, if you havent guessed it by now, this fucker can shoot [i]cyanide[/i].
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/504/pinkmilli.jpg[/img][/url]
This creature tends to hang around out on the open, mainly on rocks, and produces hydrogen cyanide in its defensive glands. Interestingly, there have been almost no sightings of young or baby Shocking Pink Dragon Millipede's, only adult ones, however it is suspected that they dwell in the soil until they are old enough the brave the limestone rocks.
They range in a few different colours, varying from purple to dark red, but pink seems to be the favorite. Some sad fucks have even put these millipedes into alcohol, and they said that colour was retained for 10 days, but after 10 months they faded to a light brown. Just thought i'd share that with you guys.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/5528/pinkmilli2.jpg[/img][/url]
Back to the cool stuff. You like almonds? Shame cyanide smells like that eh. These millipedes can also produce a scent that smells like almonds, that is released when they feel like they are in danger. It has not been proven that this is the smell of the actual cyanide it creates, or if it is just pure coinsidence. There are also 23 different types of Dragon Millipedes, and this is the biggest one, measuring up to a whopping [b]3cm[/b]!
[highlight]__________________________________________[/highlight]
Should have added this one a while ago. The [b]Pistol Shrimp[/b].
Also known as an Alpheidae or an Alpheid Shrimp, it is part of the Caridean Snapping Shrimp family.
[IMG]http://i28.tinypic.com/spg5g7.jpg[/IMG]
Most of these shrimps will be found in burrows in Corals, with a [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goby]Goby Fish[/url]. The awesome part about this is that they will stick together for the whole of their lives, and work as an awesome team. The burrow is built and tended by the shrimp, and the Goby will look out for danger, as it has better eyesight. When they both leave the burrow, they maintain contact through the use of the shrimps antenna. When the Goby detects danger, it will notify the shrimp via its charactaristic tail movement. Both creatures will then go back to the burrow.
[IMG]http://i30.tinypic.com/10yp835.jpg[/IMG]
A Goby Fish. ^
Now, onto the shrimps awesome characteristic. Its claws. One is normal, and the other one, looks like the one below, and this shrimp is competing with the Sperm Whale for the worlds loudest animal in the sea. The shrimp snaps a specialised claw shut that creates a cavitation bubble that generates accoutstic pressures (sound) of up to 218 decibels. (To put that into perspective, your TV will probably go up to roughly 30 decibels)
[IMG]http://i26.tinypic.com/2zrgltw.png[/IMG]
Pistol Shrimps Claw. ^
However, the duration of this "click" is only about 1 millisecond. On the other hand, it does create a temperature of 5,273.15 degrees Celsius, [b]the same temperature of the sun[/b]. (Well, the sun's surface anyway, and that it estimated to be 5,778 degrees Celsius). This will stun some fish, and kill others, so the shrimp can take it into the burrow and eat it.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC6I8iPiHT8[/media]
:siren:[highlight]KNOW ANY AWESOME CREATURES/PLANTS? TELL ME, AND I'LL DO SOME RESEARCH AND PUT THEM UP IF THEY ARE THAT AWESOME.[/highlight]:siren:
Where I live, we call the Corps flower the penis plant. Just FYI
Also: The picture of the worm infested child doesnt work. Try to fix it!
Cool plants bro.
that would suck if the frilled shark became extinct
Heh those worms look like spaghetti or something.
Fixed the media tag on the Acaris infestation, couldn't fix it so the image is out there for yall to see.
Also, the Frilled Shark isn't close to extiction, just very rare.
[url=http://www.imagehosting.com/][img]http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/1478/240pxstatusiucn31ntsvg.png[/img][/url]
Also add the Surinam Toad
Pictures and the wiki add wil pretty much explain but it comes down to a disgusting frog wich carries eggs inside his back.
Picture
[img]http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/7516/surinamtoadeggs2.jpg[/img]
Wikipage:
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surinam_toad[/url]
Youtube video of the eggs hatching:
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCayq56wHSA[/url]
Fuck man those worms are fucking disturbing...
FFS, I was shocked by that one image ova thar
Oh my god.
The ass worms!
I CANT UN SEE THAT!!
Check out the Sydney Funnel Web Spider. One of the most dangerous spiders in the world to humans.
I didn't need to see the second picture of the worms...
[QUOTE=Lucky-Strike;15488746]Also add the Surinam Toad
Pictures and the wiki add wil pretty much explain but it comes down to a disgusting frog wich carries eggs inside his back.
Picture
[img_thumb]http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/7516/surinamtoadeggs2.jpg[/img_thumb]
Wikipage:
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surinam_toad[/url]
Youtube video of the eggs hatching:
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCayq56wHSA[/url][/QUOTE]
That's awesome, the tadpoles grow inside its back.
The ass worms are nothing compared to that fucking toad. Especially the video! :froggonk:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtgPAQTJLQs[/media]
Here you are...
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Giant_isopod.jpg[/img]
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_isopod[/url]
These are awesome.
ughh, fucked up
Added the Peregrine Falcon.
Back in the morning, so be patient, and remember - smileys are good!
:sax:
Where's the HOUSE CENTIPEDES?
[img]http://lookingforlissa.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/ucky-ucky-ucky1.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=doomkiwi;15488997][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtgPAQTJLQs[/media]
Here you are...[/QUOTE]
I love the taste of your slim.
You know you want to do Tardigrades/Water Bears. I'm pretty sure I also read about a bacterium that ate radioactive waste.
[IMG]http://i690.photobucket.com/albums/vv270/Droogmonkey/snorlax.jpg[/IMG]
[highlight](User was banned for this post ("This is not LMAO pictures" - verynicelady))[/highlight]
[QUOTE=doomkiwi;15488997][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtgPAQTJLQs[/media]
Here you are...[/QUOTE]
Soo.. Slugs are GAY! Just saying.
[QUOTE=Skwee;15489673]Soo.. Slugs are GAY! Just saying.[/QUOTE]
It's straight for them.
Here's about nine of them and there's more links at the bottom:
[url]http://webecoist.com/2009/02/03/the-9-strangest-animals-on-earth/[/url]
[QUOTE=JingleSpy;15489189]Where's the HOUSE CENTIPEDES?
[img]http://lookingforlissa.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/ucky-ucky-ucky1.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]
What is that thing?
I thought the worms were noddles
I'ma go to china and hook me up with some of this shit.
[QUOTE=djzwicblaze;15490507]What is that thing?[/QUOTE]
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_centipede[/url]
They live in your house. In numbers. And they can hiss.
[QUOTE=Ouendanation;15490161]It's straight for them.[/QUOTE]
Well it's both...
aw what the fuck
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